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Rita shares a Polish family recipe for sauerkraut with turkey kielbasa. The juniper berries and bay leaves add a distinctive flavor to this recipe.

Cut one head of celery into half inch pieces and place into a tall, empty pot. Add in three Granny Smith apples (peeled, medium diced). Add three whole jars (24 oz.) of sauerkraut. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of uncooked pearl barley, depending on desired thickness. Add 2 fresh California Bay leaves (remember to remove these leaves when the dish is cooked). Next, crush and add 2 tablespoons of juniper berries. Season to taste with black pepper. Score and peel 3 packages (14 oz.) Hillshire Farms Turkey Polish Kielbasa sausage. Cut sausage into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces before adding to the pot.

With all the ingredients in the pot, place a lid on and move pot onto the stove (no stirring needed). Bring contents to a boil. After boiling, reduce heat to low and let cook for one hour and a half. While cooking, stir contents every fifteen minutes with a wooden spoon.

Serves well with mashed potatoes and green beans, and a dollop of horseradish and mustard on the side. Enjoy on Thanksgiving or all year round!

To prepare the salad, Goi Ga in Vietnamese, first boil or steam the 2 pieces of boneless chicken breast, let cool, and then shred into small slivers. Next, slice 1 medium yellow onion into paper thin slivers and marinate for one hour in a mixture of 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of table salt. Then slice 1 small head (~ 2 lbs) of green cabbage into thin slices (as you would to make cole slaw). Finally, in a large bowl, toss the cabbage, the marinated onion, shredded chicken, 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves, and nuoc cham (dressing) together. Remember to refrigerate until ready to serve and to sprinkle with 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts (lightly salted) immediately prior to serving.

These tortilla rolls, stuffed with chicken and topped with Mexican white cream, cheese, salsa and cabbage, make for a tantalizing meal. Paula, hailing from Michoacan, Mexico, shows us how to prepare a salsa typical of her region of origin. Salsa preparation varies throughout Mexico in terms of spices and technique. Without a doubt, the secret sauce of this favorite recipe is the home made salsa. It steals the show… try it and see for yourself!

RECIPE:

Boil 1 chicken breast with a pinch of salt, 1 clove of garlic, and 1/2 an onion divided into quarters, for 20 minutes or so. After the chicken is boiled, shred the chicken by hand into pieces small enough to fit onto the tortillas. Be sure to let chicken cool before shredding and to discard any bones. Put tortillas in microwave for 2 minutes until warm and soft. Be sure to let tortillas cool before handling. Place enough shredded chicken in a line down center of tortilla. Roll tortilla up tight and press down firmly so that chicken won’t fall out when frying. Warm up oil in pan before adding flautas (Paula prefers corn oil because that is the type of oil used most commonly in Mexico). Remember to turn flautas so they won’t burn. Once flautas are golden brown, remove from oil. Be sure to drain excess oil from flautas by placing on paper towel. Align flautas on serving plate and set aside.

To make the salsa, first boil 3 chilies and 3 tomatoes. Ground together a pinch of salt and 1 clove of garlic in mortar and pestle. Add boiled chillies, one by one, as well as tomatoes (be sure to peel off tomato skins before adding tomatoes to salsa mixture). Salsa is complete.

Use hands to then crumble the Mexican white cheese into small pieces and set aside. Cut cabbage into fine pieces, then wash in strainer and set aside.

Pakoras (chickpea battered fritters), sometimes known as the French fries of South Asia, are enjoyed throughout the year in households across the world – and never more so than in the month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. Pakoras have a special place at the break fast table during this month as part of the iftar (or fast breaking meal) for traditional Pakistanis. In the episode above, Maria shares a recipe for pakoras handed down to her by her mother, who comes from a small town outside of Lahore in Pakistan. The recipe consists very simply of chickpea flour, water, chopped onions and chopped potatoes. Dollops of the batter are added by the spoonful to pre-heated oil in a deep frying pan to produce mouth-watering appetizers best enjoyed fresh and hot!

RECIPE:

To make batter, combine 1 1/2 cups of chickpea flour (known in South Asian grocery stores as “basin”) with 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and no more than 1 teaspoon of red pepper (to taste). To this mixture add at least 1 cup of water and stir. The batter should be a nice consistency – not too watery, not too thick. Then add 1 potato chopped into small pieces and 1/2 an onion chopped into small pieces.

In a frying pan, add enough oil (Maria prefers vegetable oil) to deep fry dollops of batter. Let the oil heat for a bit on a medium setting on the stove. Then with a ladle or spoon (Maria prefers using a tablespoon), spoon batter into the frying pan. The pakoras should cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until they are a uniform golden brown. You may turn them over to ensure both sides have a chance to brown. Remove the pakoras from the oil when finished and allow to sit on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

The Cooking Tree crew is excited to debut our new blog focusing on food, women and culture. We have a wide array of recipes in store for you and how-to videos by special guests demonstrating commonly eaten dishes in various parts of the world. Hang on to your garlic press, we are about to take you on a wild ride around world. Bon Appetit!